For many years, people have enjoyed the taste of popcorn. It is a favorite at movies, carnivals and as a late night snack. Recently, with the increasing use of home video cassette recorders and popcorn poppers, and with the advent of microwave popcorn, people are enjoying more popcorn at home and even at the workplace.
There is a dilemma, however, when eating popcorn, and that is the problem with the unpopped seeds. Invariably, when a batch of popcorn is cooked, not all the kernels pop. Later, when one reaches the bottom of the bowl, he or she is forced to "pick" around the uncooked kernels to find the whole popped kernels. This is irritating, time consuming and if the consumer is not careful when eating a large handful of popcorn, an unpopped kernel may cause a tooth damage.
In response to this problem, different devices have been developed which attempt to separate the popped popcorn kernels from the unpopped popcorn kernels. The solutions include different combinations of bowls and sieves which separate popped and unpopped kernels and even a rotating drum mounted on a platform. These devices, however, present a number of problems.
When using the rotating drum device, the kernels may fall out of the apparatus and spill onto the surrounding areas. The rotating drum also is very large and cumbersome and can be difficult to store and handle.
As for the popcorn de-seeders which are combination bowl/sieves, they too have their limitations. The foremost drawback is that in order to work, the bowl and sieve must be used in tandem. Typically, the sieve is designed to fit only into the provided bowl; or, in some instances, the sieve is actually a part of the bowl. Therefore, if either portion is lost or damaged, the entire device may becomes worthless.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a device for separating unpopped popcorn kernels from popped popcorn, the device being usable interchangeably with a variety of different sized bowls.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for separating unpopped popcorn kernels from popped popcorn which does not completely remove the unpopped kernels.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for not only separating unpopped popcorn kernels from popped popcorn but also for use as a trivet for a container of microwave popcorn.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device, which is compact in size, for separating unpopped popcorn kernels from popped popcorn.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for separating unpopped popcorn kernels from popped popcorn and also for enabling excess butter and salt to be separated from the popped popcorn.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from both the following description and the drawings.